Richard Edson Movies

A grown man locked into an extended state of arrested adolescence returns to the nest while concocting a series of excuses as to why he cannot return to his wife and child in this existential comedy drama from filmmaker Azazel Jacobs. Mikey was preparing to board an airplane bound for California when he suddenly found himself fleeing from the airport and returning to the comfort of his parents' New York home. Even Mikey isn't sure exactly why he made the snap decision not to go home, all he knows is that he can't quite muster the courage to go back and assume the responsibilities of your typical family man. Of course, Mikey's doting mother is more than happy to enable her son's indecision -- and his father remains as emotionally distanced as ever -- but as time goes on, the grown-up man-child finds it increasingly difficult to make the choice between going back to reality, or drifting ever further into his second adolescence. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Abruptly cut off from the family fortune by her millionaire tycoon father, a young girl used to the life of luxury sets out on a Bonnie and Clyde style crime spree with her ne'er do well boyfriend in this action film featuring Malcolm McDowell, Anne Archer, and Faye Dunaway. Patricia Barton (Amanda Brooks) was a self-centered heiress used to sailing the sea on her luxury yacht and making $20,000 bank withdrawals when daddy (McDowell) closed her account hoping that she'd learn the true value of a hard-earned dollar. But when even Patricia's sympathetic mother (Dunaway) proves incapable of convincing dad to reconsider, the newly broke debutante and her shiftless boyfriend Pauly (Thomas Ian Nicholas) attempt an ill-conceived bank robbery that quickly spirals out of control. Things only go from bad to worse after the desperate duo hijacks an ambulance carrying notorious drug dealer the Joker (Kurupt), backing the frightened fugitives into a corner and forcing Patricia to stand on her own for the first time in her life. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

The dejected habitués of a run-down New Jersey bar currently teetering on the brink of bankruptcy receive an encouraging boost of morale when a one-time drinking buddy about to get his big break in show-business returns to find the girl he once left behind as the popular stage drama comes to the screen in a film starring Kim Dickens, Debi Mazar, Nick Chinlund, and Paul Sorvino. A locals-only dive where whiskey flows free and evenings pass in a bitter, alcohol-fueled haze, Charlie's Bar and New Crystal Ballroom is a holding tank for lost souls and forgotten dreams. Despite the dreary nature of the place, however, things suddenly start to look up when one-time local Joey Parker returns to his old watering hole in search of the woman he once left behind. It seems that the celebrated crooner from Manhattan has recently been booked for his first appearance on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and in order for his success to truly be complete Joey is convinced that he must first wed his long lost love. Now, as the dreams of the weary are re-awakened by the same winds that blew in the man determined to take hold of his fate, the regulars at Charlie's are about to find out why some dreamers are better left asleep. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Music video director Steven Hanft makes his feature debut with the digital video project Southlander, an absurd independent film starring various beloved indie pop musicians. Rory Cochrane stars as Chance, a musician who loses his extremely rare magical synthesizer which takes the form of a white 1969 Moletron keyboard. He looks for it by wandering around a de-glamorised Southern California with pal Rossangeles (co-writer Ross Harris from DJ Me DJ You and Sukia). They sometimes find clues in the local classified newspaper called the Southlander, which leads them to meet interesting folks.Their adventures eventually lead them to the home of former funk legend-turned-tennis player Mother Child (Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs from Welcome Back Kotter) and his blonde girlfriend Snowbunny (Meghan Gallagher). Beth Orton stars as Chance's love interest Rocket and the leader of the band Future Pigeon. Beck plays Bek, his younger pre-stardom self, back when he was into drugs and recording music by himself in a shack. Also starring Ione Skye, Hank Williams III, Richard Edson, and Elliot Smith. Southlander was shown at the 2001 South by Southwest Film Festival. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide

A man searching for the truth about his brother finds out more than he ever expected to learn in this semi-improvised independent drama. Abe Polonski (Richard Edson) works in his family's textile business alongside his brothers Ben (Jeff Ware) and Josh (Arnold Barkus). One day, Josh is shot to death while leaving the shop with Abe; while Ben warns him to stay out of it, Abe is determined to find out who killed his brother and why. The deeper Abe digs into his brother's life, though, the more unpleasant surprises he finds; it seems that Josh was involved in some serious financial double-dealings, and Jill (Meg Hartig), the woman he had been dating, is a prostitute. Abe talks to Jill, hoping to find out what his brother was trying to do, and he soon finds himself falling in love with her. Abe is determined to save Jill from a life on the streets, but he finds out the hard way that her pimp isn't willing to let her go. I Am Josh Polonski's Brother was shot in 15 days, using Super-8 film stock, and with much of the dialogue improvised on the spot by the cast; the film was the second feature for Raphael Nadjari, who also worked with Richard Edson on his first feature, The Shade. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Frances Sternhagen makes her first appearance as Carter's enormously wealthy grandmother, Millicent, whom Carol (Julianna Margulies) approaches for a contribution toward her new free clinic. Meanwhile, Carter (Noah Wyle) tries to hide his silver-spoon upbringing from class-envious Del Amico (Maria Bello). Back at the ER, budget cuts imposed by the management group Syngergix force Weaver (Laura Innes) to lay off several staffers -- including Jeanie (Gloria Reuben). Benton (Eriq La Salle) and Corday (Alex Kingston) have a tense argument over procedure. And Ross (George Clooney) gets some very bad news. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Bruno Kirby guest stars as Victor Helms, a former plumber's assistant who was convicted of murder after causing the deaths of an entire family in a gas explosion. Newly released from prison, Helms has sworn vengeance against the Baltimore homicide cop who put him away: Frank Pembleton (Andre Braugher). In concert with his buddy Danny Newton (Richard Newton), Helms conducts a carefully plotted campaign of persecution and harassment against Frank and his family -- a campaign that, unless nipped in the bud, will culminate in murder. This was the final episode of Homicide: Life on the Street's third season. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A woman's greed wreaks havoc on those in her life in this made-for-cable movie. Madchen Amick stars as Lauren Harrington, the seemingly perfect and beautiful wife of Paul (John Lithgow). What Paul doesn't know is that Lauren set up a former boyfriend (Eric Roberts) and sent him to jail as part of a million-dollar scheme -- and he's ready for some payback. ~ Bernadette McCallion, All Movie Guide

Murder in High Places is a made-for-TV whodunit set at a Colorado ski resort ("High Places." Get It?). Adam Baldwin, an ex-football pro turned cop, is the investigating officer in a homicide case. He is aided and abetted by Ted Levine, an alcoholic ex-newsman (what price Hunter Thompson?) who is the new mayor of the Colorado resort town where the murder occurred. The preponderance of colorful supporting characters is a sure tip-off that Murder in High Places was meant to the pilot for a series. Whether or not the series could have afforded Adam Baldwin is a moot point, since no one, least of all the audience, was interested in the project. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Cynical Philadelphia lawyer-turned-p.i. Jamey Sheridan aims his investigatory skills at an international smuggling ring. Sheridan wants to know who's supplying the weapons that are leaving the country, and who's supplying the drugs that are rolling in. The deeper he digs, the dirtier it gets; Sheridan unearths unholy alliances among idealistic freedom fighters, Central American drug lords, and corrupt American officials. Shannon's Deal was written by John Sayles, directed by Lewis (Jewel of the Nile) Teague, and scored by musical wizard Wynton Marsalis. Those concerned about Jamey Sheridan's wellbeing in this film should be advised that there was no way he'd turn up dead: Shannon's Deal was the pilot for an unsold TV series. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Although Jim Jarmusch made his directorial debut with Permanent Vacation (1982), Stranger than Paradise (1984) marked his breakthrough as a major American filmmaker. One of the most deadpan comedies ever committed to film, Stranger than Paradise suggests a Buster Keaton film written by Samuel Beckett and Jack Kerouac and directed by Andy Warhol. Willie (John Lurie) is a small-time gambler whose distant cousin Eva (Eszter Balint) is moving to America from Eastern Europe and informs him that she'll need to stay with him for ten days. Willie isn't happy to have Eva around, but after Willie introduces her to the joys of American cigarettes and TV dinners ("You got your meat, you got your potatoes, you got your vegetables, you got your dessert and you don't have to wash the dishes -- this is how we eat in America!"), Eva steals a frozen meal and a pack of smokes from the corner store, and Willie is both surprised and impressed. His buddy Eddie (Richard Edson) happens by, and they hang out with Eva just long enough to develop a fondness for her before she moves on to Ohio, where she'll live with her Aunt Lottie (Cecillia Stark). Months later, Willie and Eddie score $600 in a poker game and decide to visit Eva in Ohio. However, it's the dead of winter, and they have nothing to do except look at the frozen surface of the lake. The three eventually head down to the tacky paradise of Miami, where Willie and Eddie try their luck with the ponies and Eva decides what to do next. Stranger than Paradise is a film that defines the notion, "It's not what you say, but how you say it." Shot in long, static takes, its style is minimalism itself, but the post-beatnik cool of John Lurie, Richard Edson and Eszter Balint somehow betrays the fact that they care about each other, and a loopy charm and subtle but potent humor seeps through the film's stark black-and-white images. Stranger than Paradise began as a short subject which was made possible by German director Wim Wenders, who gave Jarmusch a supply of film stock left over from one of his projects, and it went on to become one of the most influential movies of the 1980s, casting a wide shadow over the new generation of independent American filmmakers to come. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

The city streets explode into violence when "The Man" kills Black Dynamite's (Michael Jai White) brother in this seamless recreation of the blaxploitation classics of the 1970s. He was the best agent that the CIA ever had, but these days Black Dynamite only answers to one boss -- himself. When "The Man" ices Black Dynamite's brother, starts pumping heroin into the local orphanage, and floods the ghetto with a secret weapon disguised as common malt liquor, the car chases, gunfights, and shirtless brawls that follow prove wild enough to make even Dolemite green with envy. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Legendary filmmaker Wim Wenders returns to the screen with this loosely structured murder mystery. The Million Dollar Hotel unites Wender's obsession with cool music, lost souls, and American trash culture. Set in 2001, the film opens with Tom Tom (Jeremy Davies) taking a flying leap off the roof of the Million Dollar Hotel, an ironically titled dive in the seedy section of L.A. Told in an extended flashback, Tom Tom recounts the murder investigation of a down-and-out artist and son of a media mogul, Izzy Goldkiss (Tim Roth), who also fell off the hotel. FBI special agent Skinner (none other than Mel Gibson), sporting a neck brace, looks into the death only to discover that the building is teeming with weirdos and losers. There is Vivien (Amanda Plummer), who claims to be the fiancée of the rock star; Geronimo (Jimmy Smits), a huckster trying to make a buck by selling Izzy's abstract painting; Eloise (Milla Jovovich), a burned out prostitute with a passion for intellectual literature; and Dixie (Peter Stormare), who swears up and down that he is the fifth Beatle. As the film progresses, Skinner proves to be just as much of a freak as the hotel tenets -- he was born with a third arm that was surgically removed from his back. Just as in his Until the End of the World (1991), Wenders features a fantastic soundtrack including songs from Bono, Daniel Lanois, and Brian Eno. The Million Dollar Hotel opened the 2000 Berlin Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide